Your Coming Weakness and Retirement Stewardship
One of the hard realities of life in our fallen world is aging. Although we live in a culture that celebrates—and sometimes idolized—youthfulness,...
Should I Include Annuities in my Retirement Plan (Part 3)?
In this, the third and final article in this series on annuities, I am going to look at variable annuities. Although sales of fixed index annuities have...
Should I Include Annuities in my Retirement Plan (Part 2)?
In my last article, I looked at immediate fixed-income annuities and discussed whether I might want to include them as a part of my overall retirement income...
Should I Include Annuities in my Retirement Plan (Part 1)?
I recently helped a friend evaluate an annuity product that he was considering for part of his retirement savings. Like many of us, he wanted to protect some...
I Took a Vacation From Retirement
You may have noticed that it's been a while since I posted an article on this blog. That's because my wife and I have been away on an extended vacation out...
5 Ways Congress May Make it Easier to Plan for Retirement
As a reader of this blog, you know that we hold to the position that the Bible teaches that it's good to wisely save and invest for the future, including a...
12 "Hard Truths" For Graduates to Help Them Not Be Broke
I occasionally get the opportunity to talk about stewardship and money with young people (high school and college age). I am always grateful to get the...
All You Need to Know About Personal Finance on a 3 x 5 Inch Index Card – Really?
A few years ago, a University of Chicago college professor named Harold Pollack remarked that everything you really needed to know about personal finance...
The Retirement "Identity Crisis" – a Biblical Perspective
I was recently surprised to see a couple of words being used together in an article that I might not have expected to see: retirement and grief. You may be...
My Stewardship Practices – Part Two: Saving, Investing, and Protecting
In this second of two articles on my stewardship practices, I discuss my saving, investing, and protecting (insurance) approaches. The stewardship principles...
My Stewardship Practices – Part One: Spending, Debt, and Giving
One of my pastors and I recently taught a class on stewardship at our church. In one session, a young couple in the class asked about vacations. The question...
So You Want to be an "Everyday Millionaire"?
Author and speaker Chris Hogan, who is part of Dave Ramsey's team, just came out with a new book titled, Everyday Millionaires. In some ways, it is a follow-...
5 Reasons to be Humble in Retirement Stewardship
In our culture, success with money is usually associated with self-confidence, self-sufficiency, and self-determination. We take pride in how much money we...
Are You "Full of Sap?"
I was recently in a fellowship meeting with a bunch of guys (all younger than me) from our "community group" (small group) at church. We were discussing what...
Some Thoughts on "Key Retirement Planning Birthday Milestones"
A friend recently sent me this link to a chart on PNC Bank's website titled "A Timeline for Achievement" that provided a helpful list of age-based retirement...
New Year Retirement Stewardship 10-Point Check-Up
Happy New Year! Planning is a wise part of retirement stewardship. But no matter how well we plan, we must always remember that "The heart of man plans his...
Now That You're Retired, What Do You Do All Day?
I have been officially "retired" from my full-time, paid position since October 1st. And since then, I have noticed something that happens fairly regularly:...
10 "Retirement Stewardship Things" I Am Thankful For (and So Should You Be)
Thanksgiving is just a few days away. It's a great holiday (apart from the eating too much part) because thankfulness is a beautiful thing, especially when...
Reflections and Lessons from 40 Years of Stewardship
As I shared in a previous article, I decided to retire from my full-time paid position a few weeks ago. I will do an article about how my "transition" to...
5 Ways to Prepare for the Next Big Correction (or Recession)
In our last article, we looked at some of the causes of the "Great Recession" of 2008 and suggested that there are signs that we could be headed toward a...